Verizon launches virtualized cloud backup service, furthers hybrid cloud vision

Verizon (NYSE: VZ) has taken another step forward with its hybrid cloud vision, announcing a new cloud backup service that leverages Actifio's virtualization capabilities.

Supporting customers using virtualized infrastructures -- including a combination of colocation, hosting, off-premises servers and other public clouds -- the new service will enable a unified hybrid cloud environment.

The Premise to Cloud Backup offering builds on Actifio's growing relationship with Verizon, and centers around three key use cases: enabling hybrid cloud, building higher quality applications faster, and improving resiliency and availability.

Actifio bring three specific capabilities to the table: management of customer data at the customer premise and inside Verizon's cloud; access to data with enhanced control; and protection of data.

Verizon Premise to Cloud Backup service will be available in June of 2016 in North America with availability in Europe and Asia-Pacific by the fall.

This is a new turn for Verizon. Earlier this year, the service provider shut down two of its public cloud service offerings, signaling the challenge to compete against providers like Amazon Web Services (NASDAQ: AMZN) and Google (NASDAQ: GOOG). Verizon stopped supporting Verizon Public Cloud Reserved Performance and its Marketplace and has redirected existing customers purchase its Virtual Private Cloud offering.

However compelling its new hybrid cloud offerings are, Molly Gallaher Boddy, an analyst with TBR, warned that Verizon's "transition into hybrid cloud enablement and away from public cloud puts it in direct competition with other companies that have made similar strategic moves, such as Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) and Dell."

TBR said it expects Verizon to take a vendor-agnostic approach to the cloud market, and pointed to the carrier's recent steps to connect to clouds including IBM SoftLayer and Microsoft Azure. The service provider's latest partnership with Actifio reflects that approach as well.

For more:
- see the release

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